Every new month is an exciting time for a start-up: your business is growing (hopefully) and then your staff begins to grow. As we add to our own team, I’ve been thinking a lot about our culture. Specifically how to maintain that small company feel and guiding ideology as we expand. I read an article recently in Entrepreneur Magazine called ‘Creating a Culture of Excellence’ that really spoke to me.
The article profiles an Atlanta audit firm, PKM, as they work to change their culture from the stereotypical audit world to something very different. They didn’t do it overnight (try over the course of fifteen years) and they didn’t follow some crazy, new approach. They implemented fairly traditional strategies; stayed focused, managed people well and had an executive leader in place that practiced what he preached. PKM has been honored for being one of America’s psychologically healthiest workplaces.
A culture of excellence isn’t created overnight. It takes time, passion and a commitment. Here are the highlights of Daley’s suggestions based on the study of PKM and others.
Make a plan. Stick with it.
- Excellence is different for every company. Define what excellence means for your group, create a master document spelling it all out. Then establish a way of measuring with reasonable timelines and benchmarks.
- Ask for feedback from customers, companies you admire, from employees through confidential surveys and outside groups.
- Create a climate where employees can express doubt or criticism without fear. These questions can often lead to better processes and improvements that could save the company time and money
Motivation
- Fear and money aren’t the best motivators.
- Engaged employees are happier and more productive over the long run.
- Flexibility and time are important rewards: try a long lunch or a customized work schedule as a reward for goals met.
- Acknowledge good work either in person, via email or a newsletter. Honest praise creates more loyalty than you think.
Productivity
- Explain changes. Don’t assume your employees will get it — schedule an in-depth meeting or training to guide them through changes in the business. This will ease fear and resistance.
- Get everyone on board with new systems, ideas, etc. People have to like and use those systems in order for them to work. Try contests to get people excited about new initiatives.
- Freedom in web access. Employees that are able to check personal e-mail, Facebook and Tweet are almost 10 percent more productive than those whose access is blocked. Small breaks help them to regain their concentration.
- Invest in the equipment and gear needed to do the job, like a scanner for an office with lots of incoming contracts or a shared server to ensure that documents are easy to find.
Overall, comfortable, engaged and respected people are happier, more productive long-term employees.
We’d love to hear your stories. What changes have you implemented to build a culture of excellence?
